


Doors Closing Softly

by Itmakesyoulooklikealoser



Category: Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: Adam just finds it all overwhelmingly entertaining, Gansey is tired of constantly replacing items, M/M, Noah shows up briefly for some fun, Ronan processes emotion through broken drawers and splintered doors, alternate getting together, pynch - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-01
Updated: 2017-07-15
Packaged: 2018-11-07 14:18:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11060748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Itmakesyoulooklikealoser/pseuds/Itmakesyoulooklikealoser
Summary: Ronan is angry and likes to slam things. Gansey is tired of it and plans to stop it. Adam thinks he is funny.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello all!
> 
> This is my first ever written fan fiction so I hope everyone enjoys!
> 
> This is going to be 6 chapters. I have all of them written out. I just have to edit them so hopefully they will be posted fairly quickly!
> 
> I would like to thank Glitterghost for all her help from the beginning to the very end. Without her this fic would not exist! 
> 
> Also my betas from tumblr who were extremely helpful: Erraticcat, Anaphiel, and Florescentflare.
> 
> Any mistakes are totally mine.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ronan had just come storming into Monmouth after church with his brothers. He was livid, pulling loose the tie knotted around his neck, stomping past Gansey without a word before slamming any door, drawer and cabinet he could find while cursing under his breath.
> 
> Gansey sighed and asked, "What did Declan do this time?"
> 
> Ronan, who had wandered into the bathroom/kitchen/laundry, was slamming the toilet lid for the fifth time. He responded in between slams, “What…he…fucking…always…does!”

Gansey had had enough of Ronan's temper tantrums. He didn't usually mind all the cursing or stomping around that came with them —he could mostly ignore that— but he drew a line at his personal property being damaged. Forget the money Ronan would toss to him after the fact. As if a few hundred dollars could replace the invaluable antiques Gansey spent a lifetime collecting.

Ronan had just come storming into Monmouth after church with his brothers. He was livid, pulling loose the tie knotted around his neck, stomping past Gansey without a word before slamming any door, drawer and cabinet he could find while cursing under his breath. 

Gansey sighed and asked, "What did Declan do this time?"

Ronan, who had wandered into the bathroom/kitchen/laundry, was slamming the toilet lid for the fifth time. He responded in between slams, “What…he…fucking…always…does!” 

As if that was a suitable answer. As if there was an universal explanation to every fight Ronan had with his brother. Gansey eyed Ronan carefully, waiting for perhaps an elaboration on what had happened. It did not come.

Knowing he wasn't going to get more, Gansey exhaled loudly. 

"Ronan, I understand that Declan can be difficult, but do you really have to come in here and start breaking things?"

Gansey surveyed the destruction that Ronan had managed since he’d stormed in. Somehow Ronan had managed to break every drawer on his dresser, the door to the bathroom. From the sound of things he was well on his way to breaking the toilet seat next. 

Gansey was always the last to lose his composure— if he ever did. His temper snapping was a rarity, like lightning striking twice in the same place. As awe inducing as witnessing a shooting star dart across an inky sky. This was an event that felt nearly as mythical as Gansey's beloved Welsh kings. His gentle nature hardly ever rippled from the events around him. Most problems thrown like stones into his lake of equanimity sunk beneath the depths of compassionate waves that flowed through him. 

However, in that moment, the irritation grew potently within him; a mythical king rising to claim his throne. He rose from his desk and walked into the bathroom just in time to see the toilet seat fly across the room. 

Gansey felt the second lightning bolt building in his veins, filling his chest.

"RONAN LYNCH, STOP THIS CHILDISH BEHAVIOR NOW!"

Gansey's words were nothing short of a command, echoing off the walls and immediately halting Ronan's movements. 

Ronan stood with the refrigerator door wide open and ready to slam it shut. His bicep twitched as his fingers curled, tightening around the refrigerator's handle. He looked up at Gansey, snarled at him, and stomped out of the room, leaving the refrigerator wide open, unslammed, and unbroken. This time.

Gansey closed his eyes and took a deep breath, the electricity in his veins subduing. The King descended back into his tomb, the lightning retreating behind the clouds once again. He never enjoyed or took pleasure from yelling at Ronan and he definitely disliked commanding him. Unfortunately, Ronan would sometimes fall into a string of tantrums that were worse than normal. Those were the times Gansey found himself meeting Ronan head on, taking the bull by the horns, per se. 

Gansey turned to call after Ronan, hoping to discuss things more calmly. The words that had began to form in his throat died just as quickly when he heard the front door slam. Eerily quiet footsteps followed as Ronan descended the stairs. This worried Gansey the most. Loud, destructive, abrasive Ronan was a handful but predictable. Quiet and silent Ronan, however was a wild card, a warning sign of potential and pestilential catastrophe. 

Gansey walked over to the window nearest his desk and glanced down at Ronan climbing into his BMW, hearing the engine shift gears before peeling out of the parking lot. The rational part of his brain had offered the brutal truth; Ronan’s ‘cooling down’ method had an inclination towards alcohol, street racing, and Kavinsky. On the really bad days, it was all three of those things together. Instead of letting himself drown with his incurable worries, Gansey grabbed his phone and began dialing the numbers of a few acquaintances that could help with the replacement of all the items that Ronan had broken that day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am on tumblr. Same username. I'd love to talk to you!


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As if it was some kind of twisted cosmic fuckery and the universe hadn’t already been having a field day of making his life a living hell, God damn Adam Parrish fucking walked into Monmouth after a shift at Boyd's with his coveralls rolled down to his slender waist and wearing a threadbare white t-shirt. There was a smudge of grease just above his left eyebrow, muddling its light hue darker than the other. He smelled strongly of gasoline and even with the distance between them, that smell was something Ronan could never mistake. Ronan watched Adam survey the room, his eyes passing over Gansey sitting at his desk before landing on Ronan himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to thank everyone for the kudos and comments on the last chapter. I hope you enjoy this new chapter! It's a fun one!
> 
> As always, I want to thank Glitterghost for all her help with this fic. She is truly wonderful. Go follow her on tumblr!
> 
> Thank you to Florscentflares, Anaphiel and Erraticcat for betaing this chapter and for being overall amazing!
> 
> Any mistakes made on grammar, etc are all mine.
> 
> And a final special shout out the the soft close doors at Noodles and Company that inspired this story :)

Ronan was in a sour mood. It curdled and festered, spewing onto each and every person that he encountered today, which constituted a wake of people with a particularly bitter taste in their mouths as a certain Lynch stormed away. His car was in the shop after a particularly brutal street race with Kavinsky, which now left him to rely on Gansey and the dreaded Pig. Or Adam, if Ronan were lucky and Adam found some invaluable minutes of his precious time to spare, which Ronan accepted greedily. Each alternating in offering him rides anywhere he wanted to go.

Only a day had passed and Ronan already was feeling trapped. He pictured the first and only time Chainsaw had been caged. Her wings battered the metal of the bars as she spun and flapped chaotically inside them. A whirlwind of feral being held in too small of a space. 

He needed an exit. An out of some sort from Monmouth. The same way Chainsaw had needed an escape from that cage. He did his smoker’s breath, his nerves itching for a drive somewhere. Gansey was out of the question. He would never let him borrow the Pig, especially not after what had happened to his car. He could hear Gansey saying, “Do you really think it would be wise, Ronan, for me to lend you my car after how you so carelessly treated your own? If that’s the kind of respect you show for your own car, I fear for what would happen to mine in your hands.”

However, he still considered it. Because there was no way he was going to borrow Adam's piece of shit car that could barely break 50mph. What Ronan needed was the burn of rubber tires, and the gas pedal pressed to the floor. 

As if some kind of twisted cosmic fuckery, or perhaps the universe itself, hadn’t already been having a field day of making his life a living hell, goddamn Adam fucking Parrish walked into Monmouth. He’d clearly just come from a shift at Boyd's, as his coveralls were rolled down to his slender waist, revealing a threadbare white t-shirt. There was a smudge of grease just above his left eyebrow, muddling its light hue darker than the other. He smelled strongly of gasoline and even with the distance between them, that smell was something Ronan could never mistake. Ronan watched Adam survey the room, his eyes passing over Gansey sitting at his desk before landing on Ronan himself.

Adam walked over to where Ronan was seated and flopped down next to him, leaving almost no space between them. The leather softly wheezed as he leaned his back against the couch with a sigh. Adam’s eyes were closed, but Ronan still did his best to ignore him, aggressively gnawing at his leather bracelets.

Ronan reached for his focus, searching for something to keep him composed and calm. But nothing was within reach; the control he desired over himself was just slightly out of his grasp. The thread of keeping himself poised, in control, has been replaced with a thread of warmth and want. All he could think about was Adam's soft thigh pressed against his, knobby knees touching and the seductive scent of gasoline that seemed to be radiating off of Adam provocatively. 

After what felt like an eternity of self restraint, Ronan’s walls crumbled as he allowed himself a desperate glance at Adam. To Ronan's surprise and embarrassment, Adam was already looking at him, smirking. Ronan hated that anyone, even Adam-- no, especially Adam, could see right through him during a moment of his dreaded emotional vulnerability.

There was not a doubt in his mind that Adam knew exactly what sprouted in Ronan’s mind whenever his eyes settled upon their favorite subject, and this knowledge had the power to make Ronan squirm.

Adam steadied his hand carefully on Ronan's knee to pull himself into more of an upright position and leaned towards Ronan, getting way too close to his face. Ronan panicked, shoved away from Adam and jumped from the couch without thinking, but more importantly without allowing himself to feel.

"What the fuck Parrish?" Ronan snarled, his heart pounding. "Haven’t you ever heard of personal space?"

At that, Gansey finally looked up from his journal and offered Adam an apologetic smile before addressing the issue.

"Rona..." Gansey started, but Ronan had stormed off to his own room before he could finish.

Ronan needed to get away from Adam. He couldn’t handle how close Adam had been sitting next to him. Adam smelled of gasoline, moss, and sweat and it flooded his senses, drowning him into an heightened state of arousal. Such a situation could wreak havoc if he wasn’t careful. The beginnings of badly timed attention stirred beneath Ronan’s jeans. Even more reason as to why he lashed out so vehemently and suddenly. None needed to know of this state. The way Adam was smiling at him, like they shared some secret between them before grabbing his knee like it was no big deal, like it was an everyday occurrence. Ronan almost died right there. So, logically, he jumped up, insulted Adam and stomped away like a child. He needed to slam something, or else he’d slam Adam into the couch cushions and consume that smile of his with his mouth.

Inside his room, gripping the door frame, he swung his other hand back to gain momentum for the slam was about to shatter his door into thousands of wooden shards before he was finished. The plan already set at slamming it a minimum of four times. He pulled the door as far back as it would go and leaned into the motion of the slam with all his force. However, to Ronan's surprise, and complete dismay, the door only got halfway shut before it stuttered, vibrating as it slowed to a creeping pace and closed with a soft click. Ronan slid a hand roughly over his face, an ironic laugh releasing from his throat. This, he thought, this would be comical if this was happening to someone else. But it was happening to him and this shit was the furthest thing from funny.

As the door is slowly closed, he caught sight of Adam and Gansey watching him. Adam looked like he was trying his absolute best not to fall off the couch laughing but was failing spectacularly and Gansey trying to look innocent as he adjusted his glasses, but he clearly is not. 

Ronan opened his bedroom door and sauntered over casually to Gansey's new dresser. He glanced at Gansey first before he grabbed the top drawer, pulled it out, and slammed it with such force that the whole dresser should have been in splinters and dust on the floor...except that it was not. The drawer went in quickly and, just like the door, it stuttered midway through then shut slowly with a soft thud. Ronan couldn’t believe what was happening in that moment. What third circle of hell did he inexplicably fall into?

He proceeded to try every single dresser drawer and visibly became more and more irritated the closer he got to the bottom. He knew he looked like he had finally lost his mind but he didn’t care. He could see Adam and Gansey exchanging a look he couldn't quite decipher from his peripheral. Still, he couldn’t stop trying to slam the drawers shut. WHY WOULDN’T THEY JUST FUCKING SLAM SHUT?

Out of nowhere, the air shifted softly and a slight noticeable chill breezed in as Noah popped into existence right next to Ronan. Noah flashed him his sweetest smile, looking eager to help Ronan in any way he could.

"I bet the toilet seat will still slam, if you really need to slam something," Noah offered with the small smile still on his lips that Ronan didn't think twice about. Ronan stopped and looked at Noah like he was a fucking genius. 

He treaded loudly into the bathroom, lifted the seat and... 

"JESUS FUCKING CHRIST, GANSEY! ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME RIGHT NOW!!!" he bellowed from the bathroom. 

Ronan has had it. He was done. DONE. Before anyone could say a word, he grabbed his jacket and exited, the door shutting annoyingly quietly behind him.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adam had run out of important things he should be doing to think about, so he started to replay the event in his head to try and figure out what the hell happened and what exactly had set Ronan off.

Adam wiped the tears from his eyes as he recovered from laughing. He hadn't laughed that hard in a very, very long time and it felt pretty fantastic, if he was honest.

"Well, that went better than I could have even imagined!" Adam stated, relatively surprised.

Gansey’s eyes slid away from the door where Ronan had stood, and landed on Adam. Gansey’s face morphed into an expression as if he’d borne witness to a natural disaster and all that was left was the broken pieces of the aftermath.

"You meant for all that to happen?" he asked cautiously, his curiosity gaining the upper hand. Adam tried not to note the slight edge to Gansey’s voice that was awfully close to accusation.

"Well not exactly," Adam admitted, eyebrows furrowing inward. "I had planned on getting him mildly upset. That was all. I didn't expect him to storm out like that.” Adam held out his hands, palms upward. “I didn’t even do what I was planning." 

Adam started to feel slightly bad for somehow being the catalyst to Ronan’s reaction. But Ronan should be able to control his anger a little better, shouldn‘t he? Adam had thought so. He didn't even get through his plan on riling Ronan up before Ronan exploded up from the couch. Hell, he hadn’t even started his plan. 

He honestly couldn’t even pinpoint what had set Ronan off. The plan was simple and shouldn't have caused such a scene. He thought they were in a place in their relationship where they could joke and prank each other without a fight ensuing. They had been spending more time together recently and he thought he could read Ronan better now. Maybe he was wrong. Maybe he wasn’t any closer to ever being able to read the boy that kept his secrets tied inside his chest and those thoughts he bound tighter within those secrets. But then again, he hadn’t even gotten to the joke before Ronan freaked. Adam was just very confused. 

After Gansey had told him about replacing all the doors, drawers, cabinets, toilet seat and anything else slammable with those soft close devices so Ronan wouldn’t destroy anything else when one of his tantrums came about, Adam had come up with his own plan. All he was going to do was make a smart ass comment about Ronan's terrible driving which would have caused him to stomp to his room and attempt to slam the door behind him. Adam knew it would be a sore spot since he had just gotten in the accident a few days before and his car was still currently at the shop being repaired. 

However, Adam knew that Ronan was well aware he wasn’t a shitty driver. He just let Kavinsky goad him into doing the same inane and idiotic things as always, much like Adam let Ronan convince him to do stupid and inane things, although usually more tame. Jealousy crept up on him like vines up a wall, twisting and twining. He forced himself to stop thinking about it. 

Adam explained all this to Gansey, leaving out the jealousy part, of course, saying he just wanted to see his reaction at not being able to slam anything. He really didn't think it would become such a big fucking deal. It was just a joke and was meant to be funny, something to laugh about later. 

He could tell Gansey had started to really stress over Ronan’s abrupt exit. Adam thought Gansey would be used to Ronan storming out angry. It usually happened a few times a day but Gansey being who he was, had a bad habit of lingering on things other people thought were harmless, especially when it came to the people he loved. 

"He doesn't have a car so he can't go too far or get into too much trouble, Gansey. I wouldn't worry too much about him. He will walk around for a few minutes, realize how ridiculous he is being, and come right back," Adam said, trying to calm Gansey's worrying mind. 

\-------------------------

They both sat in silence and watched the door for any sign of Ronan's return. Adam was mentally sorting through all the things he should and needed to be doing, but instead here he was, trying to be a good friend and wait it out with Gansey. Gansey’s gaze was locked to the door as if he dared looked away Ronan would never return. 

An hour had already passed with no sign of Ronan. He hadn't returned or texted Gansey to tell him what he was doing or where he was. Not that anyone really expected Ronan to use his phone, but Gansey always seemed to believe in the near impossible regardless of past patterns. 

Gansey got up and paced in front of his desk while chewing on a mint leaf, opting for motion rather than stillness. Adam started to feel a little guilty for upsetting Ronan, which in turn upset Gansey. He never intended to stress Gansey, but somehow always managed to. He knew Gansey was always worrying about Ronan's school, street racing, and general mischief making. 

Adam had run out of important things he should be doing to think about, so he started to replay the event in his head to try and figure out what the hell happened and what exactly had set Ronan off. 

He had walked into Monmouth and sat next to Ronan on the couch like he did almost every time he came over. Okay, so maybe he sat a little closer to Ronan than strictly necessary. There had been more than enough space for him to sit farther away. But Adam couldn't help himself. He had been drawn to Ronan more and more lately. He could almost still feel the warmth, the phantom memory of Ronan's muscular thigh pressed against his. He and Ronan had been pushing boundaries of their friendship more frequently as the days passed. It was in the little things; shoulders bumping while walking down the halls at school, feet accidentally kicking into each other under the table at Nino’s, Ronan showing up at St. Agnes at all hours of the night and sleeping less than a foot away from him. That couldn't have been the issue then. That was a fairly normal thing when it came to the two of them lately. 

Okay so what happened next? He closed his eyes and laid his head on the back of the couch. He had expected Ronan to at least acknowledge his presence when he had sat down. But Ronan had just ignored him, didn't even look his way. Adam had to admit that it stung a little. So Adam had decided that for once he would be the one to do the looking. He looked up at Ronan from his position on the couch. He was just about to make his smart ass comment when Ronan looked over at him and seemed surprised to see him already staring back with a smile on his face. That didn't seem to be the issue either. Ronan had caught Adam staring at him several times before and it never seemed to bother him, he never even mentioned it. Like Ronan had any room to complain or get upset at people staring. Adam had caught him staring more times than he could count. This too had become normal between them. That couldn’t have been what set Ronan off either. 

Adam kept thinking about the events following that one, trying to pin down which moment was the match to Ronan’s explosion. 

Adam had tried to sit up so he could look at Ronan properly and say the words that would surely send Ronan into the tailspin of aggravation that was needed to start Ronan off into the direction he needed to slam a thing or two. That was obviously nothing to get mad about, he hadn’t even been able to make the comment after all. Adam was at a loss. He decided that Ronan had finally just lost it and there was no other explanation. And some days Ronan barely clung to his fragile composure anyway.

After waiting a little over two hours for any sign that Ronan was coming back but not getting any, Adam decided it was time to head back to St. Agnes. It was getting dark out and he still had homework to do and he had to be up early for a shift at the factory in the morning. He would have to figure the mystery what was Ronan Lynch out another time. 

With that, he wished Gansey goodnight and reminded him to try not worry about Ronan too much. He would come around eventually. He always did. Adam gathered his stuff and left for St. Agnes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this far! I hope you are enjoying the story so far!
> 
> As always, Glitterghost is amazing!
> 
> Thanks to my wonderful betas: Anaphiel, Maskingfragility and Florscentflares!
> 
> The next chapter will probably be a little shorter than the rest have been. 
> 
> I'm on tumblr! Come talk to me. Same username (Itmakesyoulooklikealoser)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, we are more than half way done now! 
> 
> Thanks to Glitterghost for all her help with this entire endeavor.
> 
> Thanks to anaphiel and florescentflares for betaing this chapter!
> 
> I'm on tumblr: itmakesyoulooklikealoser. Come talk to me.

Ronan stormed out of Monmouth in a frenzied fury. He thought about slamming the door behind him but decided against it as it too was probably rigged. He wouldn't be able to handle the embarrassment if he tried and proved himself right. In reality, he was only slightly embarrassed; he was angrier at what had just happened between him and Adam.

He didn't understand how Adam could make him feel the way he did. Well, that wasn't true. He did understand it, but that wasn't the point. Adam barely had to look at him before Ronan felt like he needed to act out by slamming a door or punching a wall. And the way Adam had laughed? God. Ronan wanted to be furious with Adam for laughing at him but Adam had looked so beautiful, his face fully relaxed and lips tugging upwards as he let out the most beautiful sounding noise. It was rare that anyone got to see Adam so open, laughing or smiling, with joy painting his face like it had. It may have been that reason alone that he couldn't stay mad at him no matter how much he thought he wanted to. It wasn't in Ronan's DNA to feel negatively towards Adam. Anger towards Adam made him feel like he was swimming against the waves in an ocean during a tsunami, his emotions spilling and spinning him this way or that, struggling to stay afloat, content. It left him confused and disoriented. 

Ronan walked straight to where his BMW should have been, looking around incredulously, before he remembered that his car was in the shop. Fucking Kavinsky! Why did he always let Kavinsky goad him into doing things that always ended in either a damaged car or broken body?

"Fucking of course!" he yelled into the vast, brightly lit sky as he kicked a loose piece of gravel across the parking lot. He let himself enjoy the force behind actually being able to release even the tiniest bit of his anger in a physical way that he hadn't been able to yet. He watched the gravel skid to a stop in the middle of the overgrown lot. His eyes cut over to the Pig, calculating how much Gansey would hate him if he hot-wired it. As mad as he was, Ronan couldn't talk himself into doing that to Gansey. 

Ronan bit the inside of his cheek, feeling the anger begin to bubble up again, threatening to overflow the more he replayed in his mind of what had happened. He needed to get away, which ironically was his thought pattern lately. Stuck on a loop of escape but never satisfied with his options. Somewhere away from Monmouth, from Gansey and especially from Adam. 

He started off down the road, unsure where to go but knowing he couldn't stay a moment longer.

\-------------------------------

After a few hours had passed, Ronan had finally felt the simmer of anger boiling down to a more reasonable level. He hadn't been paying attention to the road he'd walked down, his mind wandering while his feet took the wheel and steered him wherever they wanted. When he finally looked up, betrayal washed through his body, cursing his subconscious. While trying to get away from Adam Parrish, his subconscious lead him directly back the source of its anger.

Of course he would end up standing outside of St. fucking Agnes. What the hell did he expect? He had been trying not to think about Adam for the past few hours but he obviously had failed. More and more often since Adam had moved in, St. Agnes was where Ronan went when he wanted to get away, when he wanted to feel comfortable. Ronan looked around the church's parking lot, trying to decide what to do next. He considered walking back to Monmouth but when his eye caught on Adams's tricolor, piece of shit car parked under a street light, he crushed that plan down in seconds.

He knew going inside wasn't really going to help him solve this apparent anger problem he was having, if anything it would just make things worse. On the one hand, he didn’t want to walk all the way back to Monmouth this late and have Gansey confront him but he knew Adam was less likely to bring it up. Adam was usually very patient with letting Ronan work through whatever it was Ronan needed to without comment, never speaking of it again. It was one of the numerous things Ronan liked about Adam.

Ronan decided then that he was going to crash on the battered wooden floor of Adam's apartment before he could talk himself out of it. It was either that or sleep on one of the stiff and far too narrow church pews. Hopefully, Adam would already be asleep and he could sneak in as quietly as a boy like Ronan could, without waking him and then be back out before Adam woke in the morning.

Ronan quickly, but as carefully as possible, climbed the stairs to Adam's apartment, silently praying Adam was in fact asleep. He knew where Adam kept the spare key he'd acquired just for Ronan after he'd found him on his doorstep one too many times after a few late shifts at work. 

He stopped outside the door. There wasn't much light seeping out from under it-- just enough for a bedside lamp to have been left on, probably on accident. Ronan hoped this meant Adam had fallen asleep while reading in bed. He grabbed the key from the cracked panel in the floor, inserted it as quietly as possible. The mechanisms twisted, releasing the bolt inside.

As if Ronan had really expected this to go any smoother than the rest of his day, he opened the door to find Adam Parrish sitting on his bed in nothing but his boxers. 

This was definitely not something Ronan could deal with right now.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY BIRTHDAY ADAM PARRISH!!!!
> 
> Sorry this one took so long to get up. Only one more to go! AHHHH! 
> 
> Thanks for sticking with me through this so far!
> 
> As always, thanks to Glitterghost for all the help on this fic.
> 
> Thanks to my absolutely amazing betas Anaphiel and Florescentflares!
> 
> Hope you enjoy this chapter!

Adam had gotten home a few hours ago and had started sorting his way through the list he had created mentally while waiting with Gansey for Ronan's return to Monmouth. He'd had a difficult time focusing on those tasks he'd jotted down in his mind. His thoughts kept skipping back to Ronan against his will. After a few hours, Adam decided that he wasn’t going to get anything productive done. Not unless you count his wandering brain circling Ronan, like he'd once seen Chainsaw do to a stray chip that'd fallen to the floor, as productive. 

Adam pulled out a well-worn copy of his favorite book. Often, this particular book had rescued his racing mind. He'd remembered when he stumbled upon the "little library", the sign urging others to take a book if they so desired, or to trade a copy of one of their own. Adam had struggled then. He didn't want to take something without somehow paying for it. It felt wrong, even with the sign posted like it had been. In the end, Adam had found a scrap of paper and wrote his name and a number he could be reached at letting the owner know he was more than willing to return such a generous offer in repairs or general maintenance of sorts. To this day he had yet to receive correspondence, but it made him more at ease with himself to have offered something in kind.

Adam turned out the lights save for the bedside lamp, and got into bed to read, hoping to fall asleep quickly.

It was when Adam had started to feel his eyes flutter shut that he heard the unmistakable click of his door being unlocked. His first thought was to try and grab something to use as a weapon to defend himself. Unfortunately, a suitable item was nowhere near. The hard-covered book in his lap would have to do. Right as Adam lifted the book above himself and aimed to defend, the door opened and he caught sight of Ronan. He grasped the book tighter, keeping it from flying out of his hands and into Ronan’s face. 

Ronan dropping by at all times of the night wasn't unusual. It had become more common for Ronan to sleep at Adam's than at Monmouth. Sometimes Ronan came and went without Adam even knowing. A ghost of a boy that appeared and then vanished just as stealthily right under Adam's nose. He snuck in during the late hours of night, in a cloak of darkness like the sky camouflaging him, blending into the dark corners of the night and Adam's room and then retreating back out with the rising sun before Adam woke each morning. The only sign Ronan had been there was the slight scent of burnt rubber and occasionally a small dream item tossed in the corner, discarded as if it meant nothing to its creator. Adam kept each one he found. He tucked them away in the bottom drawer of his desk, far in the back, behind school books stored there, confident that was a drawer Ronan would never willingly investigate for any reason.

Usually, Adam wore a pair of shorts and a ratty t-shirt in case Ronan decided to stop by. 

However, Adam had been sure Ronan would not stop by tonight, not after what happened at Monmouth, so he hadn’t bothered being decent. After all, he had the right. It was his apartment, his rules, his choice. Apparently, it was the wrong choice—not the first made that night either. 

Ronan was standing in the doorway frozen, a deer in the headlights of an oncoming and unexpected crash of something he knew would decimate him.

Adam just stared back and slowly blinked at Ronan, waiting for him to say or do something, to move from the the pit of quick sand that kept him stuck. When he didn't, Adam couldn't help but really worry about Ronan and the fragile state of his mental health that had started to crack.

Ronan was never a man of many words to begin with, even on his good days, but he usually had a snide comment up his sleeve. Adam had never seen Ronan look so uncomfortable. He watched as Ronan's eyes slowly swept down his body and back up to his face where he avoided making eye contact. Ronan's cheeks and neck were turning a violent shade of red. 

At first Adam thought Ronan had decided to finally unleash his frustrations on him, maybe yell at him for the stunt he pulled earlier. He was preparing for it when he glanced down at himself and realized he was pretty much naked. Then all of a sudden, it hit him. The way Ronan had devoured the scene when he'd walked in, too eagerly, almost anxiously, nervously? Ronan Lynch was never nervous or unsure. A flashback poured into Adam's mind, his hand on Ronan's knee to pull himself up and leaving it there while he leaned closer to Ronan's face. 

_Oh God! Oh Shit!_ Adam couldn't help but admit to himself that Ronan had probably thought Adam was going to kiss him right then in front of Gansey. 

Adam could feel his face turning red, surely the flames would eat him up and take him away from this situation so full of embarrassment.

And now here he was basically naked and not doing a thing but staring at Ronan, mimicking his stone stilled stance.

Ronan must have realized he was staring because he immediately pivoted on his heel to leave. Right as he did, Adam remembered he had asked Gansey last minute to replace everything (which wasn't much) that could be slammed in his apartment with those soft close equivalents he'd donned around Monmouth. Of course, Gansey was over the moon that Adam was willing to let him buy something for him, let alone had asked Gansey to do so! So Gansey had ordered everything to be installed that day. Adam wanted his place to have the soft close fixtures so he could mess with Ronan at his place too, but now it didn't seem like a great idea.

"RONAN WAIT!" Adam bellowed right as Ronan tried to slam the front door shut behind him. 

Of course he was too late. Now Ronan would hate him forever. What had Adam done? 

Ronan stood in the hallway watching the door close with an incredulously quizzical look on his face. Adam didn't know what to do then. He didn't want Ronan to hate him or never speak to him again. Maybe he was being dramatic but he'd pushed this prank too far, too eager to be "Prankster Parrish". It was all backfiring now, he knew. They had come so far in their relationship for that. And as much as Adam hated to admit it, he enjoyed spending time with Ronan more than anyone else. He finally understood what had upset Ronan earlier. Ronan thought he was teasing him. He thought he was mocking him because of Ronan's crush. He thought Adam was making a joke out of him and his feelings.

How could he have been so ignorant? He should have thought about that well before now. Adam, of course, had figured Ronan’s feelings for him out recently. It was very hard to miss. It had taken Adam a long time to admit that he wasn’t imagining the crush. A lingering look when Adam wasn't looking at him, or the times he'd fallen asleep with his book on his chest, only to wake up with it on the dresser, the sheet gently pulled up mid chest. He finally figured out that the rent, lotion and time spent weren’t just friendship gestures. He had just come to terms with the fact that Ronan Lynch could want him, desire him. Adam had been spending the past couple of weeks trying to figure out his own feelings towards Ronan. He wanted to be certain that his feelings were genuine and not just a byproduct of being shown extra attention and affection.

Before he knew what he was doing, Adam was up and out through the front door. Ronan had started his descent down the hall. He caught up to Ronan, grabbed his wrist and whipped him around. Ronan's body twisted back towards Adam, a bit on edge and on defense, like he'd had too many fights start out this way. A shocked look passed Ronan’s features just when Adam pulled him into a deep kiss.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ronan's POV after arriving at Adam's apartment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter!!! We have made it! Thank you to everyone who stuck with me this far!!!
> 
> A million thanks to maskingfragility and Anaphiel who are the best betas in the entire world!
> 
> Thanks to glitterghost for helping me through every step of their fic from beginning to end!
> 
> Come yell at me on tumblr @itmakesyoulooklikealoser

Ronan stood in the doorway, his feet glued to the floor beneath him. He could not move. He could not think. He could not breathe. All he could bring himself to do was stare at Adam, who was staring back at him. Ronan knew he should say or do something, but he seemed to have lost control over his body. He couldn't look away from Adam, who was practically naked in front of him and doing nothing to cover himself. Ronan urged himself to make some sort of snide comment about Adam's indecency, but no matter what he thought up, nothing came out of his mouth. Ronan's brain was white noise, his heart a freight train trying to escape his chest. He felt his eyes sweep down Adam’s body and back up without his consent. When his eyes landed back on Adam’s face he avoided eye contact. He felt betrayed by his body. He knew his face was turning an unattractive shade of red. And he was certain Adam was thinking that he had finally, truly lost his mind.

After what seemed like an eternity of staring at one another, Ronan finally could form a semi-coherent thought. That thought was one single word: _RUN_. Ronan turned on his heel and slammed the door with all his might, except the door didn’t slam. 

Ronan must have been dreaming. He must have somehow fallen asleep somewhere without realizing it. Actually, this whole day had to have been a dream. He was in Monmouth still, asleep in his bed, the day yet to begin. There was no way this was actually happening. Ronan knew he didn’t have the best luck, but even he wasn’t this unlucky. The whole day was one giant fucking nightmare. As Ronan watched the door slowly close, he saw Adam prepare to say something, mouth open with words ready to escape from his lips. Ronan knew he definitely did not want to hear whatever Adam was going to say to him, so he turned to escape.

Ronan heard Adam scramble up out of bed on the other side of the door, heavy footsteps chasing after him while shouting his name asking him to stop. There was no way in hell Ronan was stopping. He was going to find the closest, decent car, hot-wire it and get the hell out of Henrietta. 

Ronan felt a hand on his wrist and before he knew it, Adam turned him around and was kissing him. Now Ronan knew that this most definitely had to be a dream. Real Adam would never willingly kiss him. Ronan had similar dreams a thousand times, hundreds of scenarios where Adam kissed him, but it never happened in real life. 

Except Ronan knew he was awake. He could feel it in his bones that this was actually happening and he couldn’t quite believe it. After the initial shock of what was happening wore off Ronan realized he wasn't returning the kiss, his brain still slightly behind what was happening. He didn’t want Adam to think the kiss was unwelcome. Ronan hesitantly pulled Adam closer, earnestly returning the kiss to communicate that he was more than okay with being kissed by Adam Parrish. 

Adam chuckled under his breath and pulled back from Ronan. Startled by the sudden distance, Ronan opened his eyes and looked into Adam’s. He saw a question in them. One he had the answer to and wasn't going to run away from. As an answer, Ronan beamed at Adam and pulled him back into another kiss. 

 

Slowly, Ronan’s urge to slam inanimate objects seeped out him through their kiss. Now there was another urge sneaking its way into Ronan’s conscious.


End file.
